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Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she'll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn't count on is that her mother's obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy's mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.

Between her mom's diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.

CW: fat shaming, disordered eating, panic attacks

Hello. This here is a book about a beautiful, intelligent high school senior who must deal with the opposing forces that are the Body Positivity movement and Diet Culture that has possessed her mother’s body. Oh, and she does this while also kinda sorta falling in love with an adorable saxophone prodigy who is supportive and perfect and did I say adorable? Despite my little content warning up there, this book was emotional at times but ultimately delightful to read.

Have I convinced you to read this book yet, or do I need to keep going?

I think the first thing to talk about in a book with a fat protagonist, regardless of age or genre, is how her fatness is portrayed. And I say fatness as an adjective that she herself uses, not as a judgemental term. As a fat person myself, including when I was a teenager, it’s super amazing to see protagonists like myself on the page. But it’s important that their weight is not The Problem, and that the message of the book isn’t that their size and worth go hand in hand.

What To Be Honest does really well for me is portray Savannah as a fat girl who strives to enjoy her life and her body, but has to do this while coping with the messages she’s receiving at home from her mother that aren’t so positive. It’s incredibly relatable, as I’m sure many other curvy people will attest to. Many of us have “concerned family” who weigh in on our food choices (ha, see what I did there) and try to drop hints about our lifestyles. For Savannah, that’s her mom, who went into a spiral of her own after Savannah’s dad had an affair and divorced her mom. Ending up on one of those atrocious weightloss reality TV programmes, Savannah’s mom comes home a changed woman, and not for the better.

What’s so amazing about how Savannah is portrayed is just how aware she is of the damaging nature of the reality TV show and the messages her mother tries to impress upon her. I think this is the biggest win for the Body Positivity movement: giving teens the awareness and tools to recognise and cope with other people’s negativity.

For a long time, I hated Savannah’s mom. Well, it started with shock, moved on to hatred, and then mellowed out into just an overwhelming sense of sadness for her. Because what Savannah’s mom exhibited quickly unveiled itself as disordered eating tied with depression.

I cried hardcore during any scenes with Savannah’s dad. Your mileage may vary, but this book was incredibly relatable on this front, too, as what happened to Savannah’s family happened to mine, albeit when I was 24 and not 17. Her relationship with her dad was strained, and she missed what they used to have before he revealed himself to be a human who made mistakes. Wow. I’m crying just reliving that because I still haven’t accepted the woman my dad cheated on my mom with, and he’s been with this woman for 5 years (3 openly). Adultery can really screw up a family, so just don’t cheat, especially if you have kids, ok?

All this talk about food and body issues and cheating makes this book sound like a real downer, but actually, it was funny and uplifting and cute enough to bring the whole tone up. Savannah is clearly a smart 17-year-old with a lot going for not, not least of which is her ability to love her friends and family. She’s also awkward and hilarious at times, and I could follow her trains of thought so easily, especially since I recognised my own teenage thoughts in hers.

Savannah also happens to have the world’s coolest big sister (aside from me, of course). I loved her relationship with Ashley, and it broke my heart to recognise the signs of Ashley becoming an adult with her own new life at college. It made me want to go back in time to when I first left for university so that I could remember to call my brother every day and let him know he is the most important person in my life.

And finally, George. Oh my. He slowly snuck into my heart with all his gawkiness and heart. Where others would have backed away slowly, he was there for Savannah through some tough situations, including panic attacks and parental meltdowns. Honestly, that boy was awkward gold. But then he also had his own issues, and he acted like such a boy sometimes! Ugh.

So do I recommend To Be Honest? To be sure.

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About Maggie Ann Martin

Maggie Ann Martin hails from Iowa City, Iowa but moonlights as a New Yorker. She has a shiny new BA in English and Journalism from the University of Iowa, the most welcoming literary community in the world. When she is not writing, you can find her binge watching TV shows or passionately fangirling over fictional characters on the Internet. The Big F is her debut novel.

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0: Couldn't finish1: Want my precious reading hours back2: Could have done without it3: It was good, but it's not an essential read4: Really liked it and glad I picked it up5: Absolutely loved it and would read again

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